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Pink Floyd pupils claim royalties
  
Former schoolchildren who sang on Pink Floyd's 1979 single Another Brick in The Wall have begun action for unpaid royalties. 
Royalties expert Peter Rowan said he was appealing on behalf of one former pupil and was working with others.

The 23 then teenagers from north London have been unable to claim royalties as they recorded their vocals in secret.

The single with its chorus "We Don't Need No Education" became a children's anthem and was a UK and US number one.

The album The Wall, on which the single features, sold more than 12 million copies.

The album was also turned into a semi-animated 1982 film, starring Bob Geldof of as a pop star who descends into madness.

Mr Rowan said: "They (the former schoolchildren) are owed their money and we lodged the first claim last week. I've been working on it for almost two years."

'Scandalous' lyrics

The then pupils from Islington Green School, north London, were taken to a nearby recording studio by their music teacher but without permission from the headmistress.

On hearing the song, she banned the pupils from appearing on TV or video, meaning they had no proof of their involvement on the track.

The lyrics "We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control, no dark sarcasm in the classroom -- teachers leave them kids alone" were also described by the Inner London Education Authority as "scandalous".

The school was paid £1,000 and later given a platinum record of the song but the pupils were paid nothing.

The former headmistress has now agreed to support her former pupils' claim.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/music/4047533.stm

Published: 2004/11/27 12:13:23 GMT

Chris Fry, January 2006

pending permission from Cambridge and the British Council's LearnEnglish

Contact: Chris(dot)Fry(at)worldonline(dot)es

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